C-Lane
Ok, so you own the deed to the most beautiful land in the country: A mountain with a view unlike any other. What do you do? If you said anything other than build a ampitheatre and invite bands to come rock there, you're absolutely wrong... Aside from being one of the most beautiful venues around, The Gorge naturally has tons of energy, and tonight, it showed. I DID IT probably had the least energy of them all and was still pretty good. STONE-WWYS-GRANNY: These were all awesome and the crowd around me was really diggin it. My section was full of awesome people. Satellite was pretty typical. WAREHOUSE: really rocked the house, it seemed like Dave was trying to jam for longer on this and a couple other songs. CRY FREEDOM first time seeing this full band, the crowd was very quiet (other than singin the words) for this and Typical. Not a lot of yelling. RHYME-TOO MUCH-WATCHTOWER: Another trio of upbeat songs, each was better than the one before it. I don't think I've heard a more energetic watchtower. It was amazing. Typical was unexpected cause of last night's minarets but a great tune and really jammed out. IIHIA was solid but pretty typical. DDTW was another driving song that the band was really feelin. DAD was cool and like iihia, pretty typical. BILLIES was amazing, so much energy and Boyd really tore it up. LAST STOP was what I wanted to hear most and it was everything I knew it would be. Rockin tune with a beautiful reprise outro. When the 12-string came out, we knew it would be GREY ST to end the show. All in all, this show was the best full band show I've ever seen and totally drowned any other concert I've ever been to. I gotta give props to MIX 105.1 in Orlando for hookin me up with the trip to Seattle and the Tickets to the show. I never thought I'd ever be able to see a Gorge show but they made it happen. And thanks DMB for an awesome night....

Kristin
This was my 19th DMB show, and the 24th time seeing Dave. I met Roi again today, which was cool. When Dave came out to introduce Josh Kelley (the opener), he said "it's a beautiful day," which prompted him to sing a little bit of Mr. Rogers' theme song! ("It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, won't you be my neighbor.") He also sang a bit of a song about a river (not "Take Me To The River" though). Josh Kelley was entertaining- this was the fourth night I saw him so I knew all of his songs. But it was cool because he did a cover of the Beatles' "A Day In The Life." Then his younger brother Charles Kelley came out and sang "Mustang Sally." He'll probably be in the spotlight soon too. (We heard Josh Kelley's song "Amazing" several times on the radio driving between the shows this week.) Before DMB took the stage, I saw the baritone guitar put out, so I knew it had to be one of a few songs. I was hoping for So Right, but instead we got I DID IT, which was the first time I heard it open a show. THE STONE followed and my brother was excited because it is one of his favorite songs. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY was nice to hear. I was joking with my brother that they would play it and GRANNY back to back because it's our Grandma's birthday today, and they did. I was excited to hear them- I could never hear enough of Granny. SATELLITE is also one of my brother's favorites. Naturally Dave couldn't hit the high notes on it, though. Stefan led the "woos" during WAREHOUSE as usual. I always love the lights at the beginning of that song. CRY FREEDOM was beautiful, but of course people around us were talking. Our seats were in section C, row 10, which is equivalent to section B row 15. There were some tall guys in front of me that made it hard to see the stage and it wasn't very fun. But then I noticed that there was room on the end of sec B row 14 because that row was shorter than the other rows around it for some reason so I went over there. I had the perfect view- no heads blocking it- and it made a world of difference. RHYME & REASON was powerful as usual. With TOO MUCH here, they really packed some powerful punches together in the set. The mid-set WATCHTOWER was a nice treat, although I had hoped they were going to close the encore with it. Stefan's solo was short and then he looked at Dave to signal that he was done. It was time for a quieter song and TYPICAL SITUATION was a perfect fit. I hadn't heard it full-band since 2000, so I was glad they played it. I heard that Marcelo from Chile had met Roi the night before and asked him to ask Dave to play it tonight, so he got his wish! Very cool! The jam during the song is one of my favorites. IF I HAD IT ALL is actually a good song. I always thought it was the most like the Lillywhite songs of the Everyday songs. Dave sings it with such emotion. This was a good spot for it. The most powerful song of the evening by far in my opinion was DON'T DRINK THE WATER. It was incredible. DIGGING A DITCH always surprises the people who don't know that the groove kicks in and that it's not just a slow ballad. This was a good spot for it, and I knew we weren't getting it in the encore. Speaking of encores, when TRIPPING BILLIES began, I knew that Last Stop would be in the encore. Billies was energetic. It's a great closer. Boyd was going crazy with his violin solo and he and Dave were dancing. When they came back out for the encore, Stefan was grinning as they went right into LAST STOP. I was very excited to hear it- this was the first time I heard it live. Roi didn't wear his sunglasses at all during the encore. Then GREY STREET (minus the verse about the crazy man) closed the show. We got some funky encores this week- Portland had Too Much and Stay, Vancouver had (#40) and The Stone and Billies, Gorge night 1 had Minarets and Stay, and Gorge night 2 had Last Stop and Grey Street. All in all this was a great show, and a great Gorge "weekend," and a great week of DMB shows!

Jason A.
Recipe for an amazing night at the Gorge: 3 cups Beautiful Sunset, 1 cup Warm Temperature, 1/2 cup Warm Wind, 3 cups Great People, a pinch of Spirits, and 1 Greatest Band on Earth. The band lived up to its Gorge-reputation again this year, and I have to give 08/08 the first-place finish. Whereas the first night started off fairly intense, dipped into mellowville, and then ended strong, the second night was nothing but jamming and pure energy. Starting off with I Did It might make the biggest fan a bit skeptical (as it did me), but once the obligatory Everyday salute was over, it was pure goodness for the rest of the night. The Stone was solid, and I personally pretended that it was the true setlist opener. Great version of WWYS, which got the crowd going for a much appreciated version of Granny. Standard version of Satellite, but it kept the crowd going and Dave seemed to enjoy himself. Warehouse was *100%* unexpected -- no intro, just straight into it and the crowd loved it. After seeing Cry Freedom pop-up on the D&T tour and other shows in the summer tour, I was looking forward to it at the Gorge -- the band did not disappoint. Rhyme and Reason followed by Too Much kept the energy flowing, and just when I thought they might chill out for a few songs, Stefan busted out a sweet intro into Watchtower. For those of you who dog on Dave for not being able to hit the same high notes of the 90's, you should start appreciating how he's making up for it. He might not hit the highest of the high notes, but he is singing his lungs out and you can feel it in your spine during the show.. Typical Situation was also completely unexpected, and *very* appreciated by the crowed. I was surprised at the number of people singing along, and the band reciprocated by playing an extended-version of the song. Don't Drink the Water was awesome, which is fitting because Dave seems to always enjoy playing DDTW at the Gorge. If you listen to the little story he tells during the VH1 Storytellers show about DDTW, sit yourself at the Gorge when they play DDTW, and I think you'll understand why he likes playing it at the Gorge. Digging a Ditch was a little random as it came toward the end of a very-jamming setlist, but they played it well and it set up the crowd for a wake-up-and-party version of Tripping Billies. Encore: For those of you who attended last year's final Gorge show, the band made good on their promise and brought out The Last Stop. Solid version and well received by a very appreciative crowd. They could have ended with The Last Stop, but giving us a dose of Grey Street was much appreciated. All in all, everyone went home happy little campers. Hope to see you next year...

Rob B.
After the previous night, we had thrown all of our setlist predictions out the window. We shouldn't have. This setlist felt much better and 'normal' than last night's, Cry Freedom and Typical were great. Not so much schizophrenic up and down vibe they had brought out on Thursday. Plus, they had a lot fewer mistakes in their tunes. What a bummer to have them open the night with I did it. I was personally let down we didn't get a Raven or Bartender or Jane either night. Deep down i was hoping for a JTR. But he had to play i did it. To open. ? The DMBand.com site doesn't list a Nancies tease, but I'm pretty sure they did do one. Sorry for the negativity, but overall I was dissapointed with these shows at the gorge. It wasn't the setlist. By God if you looked at just the songs they played, you would be fired up. But if you were there, and knew the energy that the boys are capable of, you would know that something is going on with the band. Carter doesn't smile behind the drums any more. Dave brought his voice out 4 times (barely). And it feels like they are substituing experimentation by recycling old tunes with Butch switching up a little bit. It seems like they aren't getting any practice off stage. That was my fourteenth dmb show at the gorge. The energy wasn't there. And to cap off this regrettably dire review: The video screen they now use consistently, is a distraction from the band (marginally) but most importantly, it has made the lights at the gorge shows go down the toilet. It is just so damn bright. Anyway, The show tonight was musically a ton better than thursday. Just wasn't a thing like 98,99,00 by any stretch of imagination.

Adam H.
Night Two and reserved seating is what I had from the Warehouse. THANK YOU for that! 38th row section C were great seats and definitely closer then I had ever been. Josh Kelly was very good for the third time I saw him and his brother Charles came out and did Mustang Sally which was cool. The kid can sing. DMB took the stage at about 8:20. I saw the electric sitting up on the stage and just knew what that had to mean. I said after Thursday's show that they were gonna play IDI and Watchtower which I didn't want to happen. But right off from the opener, I Did It. Oh well! I was proud that I called it and it wasn't all that bad. I would have to say that this song was the low point of the evening and it wasn't really low at all. My friend wanted to hear his favorite song and got his wish when they played The Stone; very good rendition. WWYS was solid but then the show got a kick in the ass with song 4. GRANNY baby. Oh sweet mother of God, a prayer is answered. I wanted this song so badly and got it. This is where the show took off into the night! Satellite was next followed by Warehouse. WHOO!! Both first times for me as well as Cry Freedom. All three were absolutely beautiful. R&R was killer as always and a pleasure to hear. Too Much is a good one but somewhat overdone. But that is an understatement when applied to the next song; Watchtower. Didn't want it but still couldn't dampen the evening. Dave Matthews Band was playing it so really, how bad could it be. Redemption was up next with Typical Situation and it was great; definitely a favorite of mine now. They jammed it out nicely; much better than the jams last night. Moving on, I was glad to hear IIHIA. One of my favorite Everyday songs. My friend Britton called the next song by the lights. They were all red and DDTW was up next. I was thinking that this might be the set closer and was hoping not and got my hope. Very strong version and great to hear. Digging a Ditch was solid and they played the hell outta Billies. Boyd and Dave were playing face to face and Boyd kicked his head back and lost his hat; just awesome! They then switched around in a circle like they were dancing. Absolutely great! Great set closer. I had seen the 12 string stage-right all through the show and was hoping for Grey Street. They came out and played one of the only two BTCS songs I hadn't seen live. THE LAST STOP BABY!!!! SO fitting for the last stop of the tour and I about melted. Great song! Then I got my wish. Dave got the 12 string and I knew it was coming. GREY STREET. They cut a verse out but it was all good. This show was 100 times better then Thursday night. Definitely a great show and I am so glad I was there. I am pretty sure there was a Dancing Nancies tease in there somewhere but I don't remember where. If anyone can tell me, let me know. And also, all the show's I have been to previous to this one were 19 or 18 songs. This show only had the 17 and it felt longer than all the shows I have been to previous. I thought that was interesting. Can't wait for the Gorge next year!